Money, money, money

The headlines may have all been about the fact that Man Utd are no longer the richest club in the world, having been supplanted at the top of the Deloitte Football Money League by Real Madrid, but of interest to us is our position in 12th, one place lower than last season. Our income (ignoring transfer fees and players' wages) is given as £87.1m. British clubs make up nine of the top twenty, and, as you might imagine, of those only Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal rake in more than us.

What does it matter? Not much, really. It's one possible measure of the club's stature on the world stage, though - and as such also a measure of our underachievement. With that sort of money flowing into the club direct from the fans, who part with exorbitant sums for season tickets and official merchandise, is it any wonder that we get upset when that income fails to bear fruit, when money is squandered and when the team we fund performs as badly as they have this season? Perhaps, then, the figures just underline the fact that we are well within our rights to grumble, complain and register dissatisfaction.